Search form

Search form

Customer testimonials are one way to build interest your brand and establish its credibility, writes Walter Dailey of Dailey Sound Vector. Feature testimonials in your adds, pay attention to feedback on social media and consider creating a comment section on your company's Web page. "Remember, the establishment of creditability is very much rooted in truth. So be sure that this area of your site does not appear to be a review-utopia," he writes.

Related Summaries

A successful marketing campaign should have both creative and practical components, writes Walter Dailey, consultant and creative director for Dailey Sound Vector. On the creative side, you should be willing to take risks and study how companies in other fields are delivering their marketing messages. On the practical side, you should set a budget and make sure your marketing prompts consumers to take action.

When selling your product, remember that sales happen between people, writes Walter Dailey of Dailey Sound Vector. "My sales approach completely changed when I got it in my head that I was having a conversation with another human being (not a million-dollar conglomerate)," he writes. It's also important to realize that a poor interaction could simply be due to a prospect having a bad day and not to assume that prospects will reject your offer.

To create an effective budget, you must set goals, writes Richard Lipton, an accountant. "It's important to identify, in detail, your business and financial goals and what you want or need to achieve in your business," he writes. Other common mistakes include not accounting for all of the expenses of your business and neglecting to update your budget, he writes.

E-mail marketing should use humor, attention-grabbing language and other techniques to draw people's attention, David Meerman Scott said. "Be somebody who tells a story," he recommends. Also, don't only focus on pushing your product, and experiment with sending messages at unusual times such as during the weekend.

If your business is sagging, it might be time to reboot your brand in a manner similar to how Old Spice reinvigorated its business, writes Walter Dailey of Dailey Sound Vector. While it might be painful, you should start by reviewing negative feedback to learn what's gone wrong, he writes. Then consider changing a defining characteristic of your business such as its name, and fine-tune your products and services to make sure they align with customer demand.